People & Places

Best New Public Official Orange County 2012 - Travis Kiger

Political candidates are notorious for saying whatever they need to say to win, but once they get into power, they miraculously begin suffering from amnesia. But Fullerton City Council recall winner Travis Kiger took office; declared, "Yes, I have an agenda"; and then boldly published a detailed list of his goals for everyone to see. The list contains four sections: "urgent," "important," "irritating" and "things to look at." It's refreshing to see at least one public servant willing to hold himself accountable from the outset of his term.

Kiger's best moment came after he spearheaded rejection of a grant for DUI checkpoints without asking if anything else might be lost (like the $140,000 in other state grants that were tied to that grant) on the basis that he thought that the checkpoints were unconstitutional -- and then when an Assistant DA came to the meeting to say that her office maintained that they were constitutional and that she'd be happy to answer as many questions from City Councilmembers about their constitutionality as they might have, Kiger remained silent. Oh -- and like his boss Tony Bushala (and apparently this very "Galt-Weekly), he wants to see the city bankrupted so that it can break public unions, slash community services like libraries, and renege on pension obligations.